iSQUARE Chosen as Featured Building
15 August 2011 - Featured Building
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The current legal building name.
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.
A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.
Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered a “steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.
Reinforced Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars.
Precast Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning system are constructed from steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.
Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. steel, concrete, timber), one on top of the other. For example, a steel/concrete indicates a steel structural system located on top of a concrete structural system, with the opposite true of concrete/steel.
Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used in a composite building’s core, columns, and floor spanning separately.
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.
Proposed
Construction Start
Completed
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2010 CTBUH Awards
15 August 2011 - Featured Building
26 October 2015
With the impact of urbanization, larger cities, operating pressures and the rise of megatall skyscrapers, today’s new and existing buildings are increasingly being engineered as...
Fluidity and transparency of the spatial arrangement were the emphasis of the design concept for iSQUARE. The program of the building has two major components—retail shops and restaurants. The new retail experience extends up the full height of the building through a series of sky-atria that orchestrate spatial tensions in stratifications within the space. The vibrant spatial energy, in perfect accord with the bustling but somewhat chaotic contextual character of this part of Tsim Sha Tsui, is likewise manifested on the strangled and dislocated external formal treatment of the tower that allows it to stand out in the congested skyline. Oddly shaped as it may seem, the form is generated entirely in response to contextual view angles, circulation arrangements, and the functional needs of the new design brief. By drawing in the public’s participation into the architecture it permeates the public domain to the highest floors allowing the site to now assume an enhanced civic significance.
On the exterior, the two forces of fluidity and transparency are manifested through an interplay of a series of large volume glass boxes and escalator systems: the ground floor and first floor of the new building are occupied by double-story-high branded flagship shops with direct street access. A set of express escalators deliver visitors directly onto the second floor of the building—the Lobby Floor—where journeys to different destinations begin: a double volume Event Floor, Restaurant Floor, Cinema Boxes, and ultimately a 400-seat IMAX cinema, the largest in Hong Kong, floating in the sky at the top of the podium. All these express escalators are strategically placed along the Nathan Road façade as bridge connections to the various sky atria to echo the movement and dynamism in the bustling streets below.
At the top of the building, to capitalize on the breathtaking panoramic view of Victoria Harbor towards Hong Kong Island on the south, and also to positively respond to the blocky urban fabric at higher altitude, a 12-story tower housing most of the food and beverage outlets was planned and oriented for view optimization. Full-story-high vision glass panels at the three major façades have been allowed for at the tower. Balconies facing south are added to promote outdoor dining for the enjoyment of sunshine. In contrast to the tower element, where capitalization of harbor view is a major design direction, the podium portion of the building only reaches to a height similar with the existing adjoining buildings in the neighborhood, thus helping sustain continuity of the lower building line with a greater sense of urban block delineation.
For the podium, apart from the sky atria, a large portion of the podium façade is clad with a specially designed opaque curtain wall system integrated with warm white LED lights. This innovative lighting scheme gives a unique glowing lantern effect which blends well with the existing neon-covered streetscape of Nathan Road at night and yet remains visually distinctive from the rest. LED lights were strategically chosen, instead of typical metal halide lighting, for reduced energy consumption.
The use of the curtain wall system with composite backpan incorporating thermal insulation at the podium not only creates a neat and tidy outlook to the new building (unlike other typical shopping malls), but also contributes to the reduction of cooling load. Similarly, for capturing the magnificent sea view, insulated glass units consisting of double low-E glass panes are adopted at the vision panels of the tower without increasing the burden on the air-conditioning system. In order to achieve a better energy efficiency result, water-cooled chillers have also been adopted for the centralized air-conditioning system of the new building for the higher coefficient of performance (COP) as compared to air-cooled chillers.
2010 CTBUH Awards
26 October 2015
With the impact of urbanization, larger cities, operating pressures and the rise of megatall skyscrapers, today’s new and existing buildings are increasingly being engineered as...
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